“I’m culturally Jewish.” Most Jews say this. What does it mean? It means different things to different people. The common thread is, “I don’t believe in God.” Let’s not even go into what “God” means; let’s jump right to what does “cultural” mean? For the non-Jewish partner this can be like a visit to a nonexistent country - a series of no statements. No God, no ritual, no prayers, no spirituality, no belonging. The non-Jewish partner may begin to believe that this means we can have an American home - but then the Jew adds some more Nos - no Christmas, no church services, no carols that include Jesus. Now “cultural” sounds stingy and flavorless.
The Jewish partner may try to explain Jewish culture. If it’s a meeting between me and the couple this is often when the Jewish partner turns to me and says, “You know, Jewish culture.”
So what the devil is “Jewish culture?” First the bad news, it comes from Jewish religion. There is no food, music, art, dance or even language that is universal to all Jews everywhere. What is universal is the religion of Judaism. BUT! Now the good news, where ever Jews went on the planet they took their religion and adapted it to the host country, creating a Jewish version of that place - i.e. Jewish culture. So you have the Jewish culture of Mexico and the Jewish culture of Morocco and so on – each with their own food, music, language, etc.
So when the Jewish partner says, “I’m culturally Jewish” there’s a lot to explore.
What country or countries does the Jew in question come from? I met a man a couple weeks ago who was born in Iran, his family moved to Israel when he was a little boy and then to the US when he was a teen. So he has multiple languages, foods, music, etc. to share with his soon to be spouse.
My sister-in-law’s family came from Tunisia. The family was expelled when her parents were young adults and fled to France. Her wedding to my Ashkenazi brother-in-law included Arab, French and American elements. The food, all kosher, was Middle Eastern at one of the banquets and French at another. Her parents speak three languages - Arabic, Hebrew, and French plus few words of English. The bridal parties included belly dancing and henna. My sister-in-law thinks American Jews eat too much “white food!” Bagels, challah and gefilte fish all horrify her. And why have a fiddle when you can use a drum?
What is YOUR Jewish culture?
Begin by exploring your roots. Most American Jews are Ashkenazi - that is, originating from Eastern Europe and from a community that spoke Yiddish. Go to the Jewish museums, music festivals, art & food fairs and find the elements that represent “Jewish” to you. That’s your Jewish culture. It will probably include Klezmer music, bagels, Yiddishisms, and images of bearded men dressed in long black coats. None of this would be culturally appropriate for my sister-in-law but it will be for the majority of American Jews.
Buy recordings of old Jewish comedians - and new/young ones. Talk about why the jokes are funny. Don’t assume that everyone gets the jokes you get. (I was at a Jewish conference a few years back and there was a Jewish comedian entertaining us. We were roaring. The young Hispanic facilities man sat by handling the sound with a placid expression. Finally the comedian turned to him after a wonderful bris joke and said, “So, you getting any of this?” “No,” smiled the man.)
Catch Jewish art exhibits when they are in town. A Chagall exhibit was in San Francisco about a year ago. Watch the paper.
There is an annual Jewish Music Festival that is managed out of the Berkeley JCC but has performances all around the bay. Check them out online at:
http://www.jcceastbay.org/jcc/jewish_music_festival.htm
The Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley has rotating exhibits. Go for a visit. Get info online at: http://www.magnes.org/
Check out the new Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco: www.thecjm.org
One of the easiest ways to learn is by watching a film. The fantastic San Francisco Jewish Film Festival comes every year, get a brochure or look online at: www.sfjff.org
San Jose and Contra Costa also have film festivals so you don’t have to go far from home to see a film.
Contra Costa: www.eastbayjewishfilm.org/
Silicon Valley: www.sjjff.org
Or just go rent an old film and watch it with an interpretive eye. Explain the details.
Try any Mel Brooks film -
The Producers
The Frisco Kid
The History of the World: Part one
Exodus
Fiddler on the Roof
Old black and white Yiddish films like The Dybbuk or Yidl Mitn Fidl.
Modern films from around the world.
Being Jewish in France
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
All of these can start conversations about what it means to be Jewish, for the most part, without a religious component. Religion exists on the sides of some of these films, just the way it hovers on the side of the lives of cultural Jews.
There are some good cultural things going on right now – take a look.
EVENTS
Exhibition of Italian Ritual Objects and Manuscripts (San Francisco)
Young Family Shabbat (Redwood City)
Miriam’s Well (Berkeley)
Redwood Symphony (Los Altos)
Jewish PJ Party For Very Young Children (El Cerrito)
Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Celebration and Pie Social (Lafayette)
Abracadabra: Jews & Magic (San Francisco)
Jewish Book Group (Redwood City)
Singing to God: Shabbat Music (Oakland)
Chopshticks (Palo Alto)
Exhibition of Italian Ritual Objects and Manuscripts
From November 3 to January 29 the Jewish Community Library will exhibit silver and brass ritual objects, facsimiles of illuminated manuscripts, ketubbot (marriage contracts), letters, and other historical documents from the Italian holdings of the Judah L. Magnes Museum.
Place: BJE Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco
www.bjesf.org
Call for hours and details Ph: 415.567.3327 x706
Young Family Shabbat
A Shabbat dinner for families with children. Following a brief service.
Date: Friday, November 21
Time: 6:15pm Services in the Chapel
7:00pm Dinner in the Social Hall
Place: Congregation Beth Jacob, 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City
Cost: Adults $14.00 each
Kids (ages 4 – 12) $9.00 each
Little kids (ages 2 – 3) $3.00 each
Please make your dinner reservation with payment to Congregation Beth Jacob office by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 19.
www.bethjacobrwc.org
Miriam’s Well
Interweaving dance, live music, poetry and sacred text; the stories of three visionary women gather communal waters from the universal well. These stories of Mary, Maryam, and Miriam from the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions illumine the commonality and interconnectedness of these three traditions through a shared story and archetype. Drawing on traditional expressive arts and ritual, as well as contemporary theater and dance technique, Miriam's Well emotionally engages the audience in a rich image of shared heritage.
Date: Saturday, November 22
Time: 8:30 pm
Place: Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave, Berkeley
Tickets: $24 in advance, $28 at the door
Advance sales tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets' 24/7 ticket hotline: 800-838-3006, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com
Created by Miriam Peretz. In collaboration with Qadim Ensemble, Ya Elah, Salokhiddin Fakhriev, Manar Azriek, Wan-Chao Chang and Hannah Romanowsky
Redwood Symphony
Come hear a rich sampling of works by Jewish composers. Osvaldo Golijov channels Klezmer to create a new musical form; Lukas Foss pays tribute to the first-known Jewish composer, Salamone Rossi; Philip Glass's Suite from The Hours; Steve Reich's Tehillim, sung in Hebrew. Pre-concert lecture at 2 p.m.
Date: Sunday, Nov. 23
Time: 2pm lecture, 3pm concert
Place: Beth Am sanctuary, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills
Tickets: Adult $25 ($20 in advance); Children under 16 and students with ID $10; Children 12 and under Free with adult. Advance tickets: by credit card, online only, at http://www.redwoodsymphony.org. Tickets ordered online will be held at the door. By mail, send check to Redwood Symphony, 1031 16th Ave., Redwood City, 94063 with a self addressed, stamped envelope, or ask that the paid tickets be held at the door.
Jewish PJ Party For Very Young Children
Bubbles, songs, stories, snacks. Learn about the Jewish way of welcoming the new week, Havdalah. Wear your pj's and bring a blankie or stuffed animal. FREE. For children 0-5 and their families.
Date: Nov 23
Time: 10:30am-noon
Place: Jewish Gateways, El Cerrito
For more info or to rsvp contact Rabbi Bridget Wynne at 510-559-8140 or rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org.
Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Celebration and Pie Social
Lamorinda congregations come together to give thanks in this interfaith service reflecting the many traditions represented: United Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Catholic, United Church of Christ, Jewish, Baha'i, and Christian Science. A stunning procession of singers, banners and dancers will open this unique service, as Temple Isaiah calls us together with the blowing of the shofar and the Baha'i community sings a blessing over our shared space. A choir of singers from several faiths will provide special music, and liturgical dancers will embrace the community in movement. The sermon will be delivered by The Rev. Stephen McHale, Faith Formation Minister of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
All are encouraged to bring a pie or dessert to share. The offering that night will benefit the Winter Nights Shelter.
Date: Wednesday, November 26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette
Sponsored by Lamorinda Interfaith Ministerial Association
(925) 283-3722 www.oslc.net
If you want to go with Temple Isaiah members you can call Michael at the synagogue office and ask to be included with them. You can reach Michael at 925-283-8575.
Abracadabra: Jews & Magic
Both powerful and fun, the art of magic challenges the mind, stimulates the imagination and creates a bridge between illusion and reality. Join cantor, magician and historian Manny Sperling for a spellbinding afternoon of entertainment as he hosts a multimedia homage to legendary Jewish magicians from Houdini and Ballantine to Copperfield and Blaine.
Not recommended for young children.
Date: Sun, Dec 7
Time: 2:00pm
Place: JCC of San Francisco, 3200 California St., San Francisco
Cost: $20/JCC members, $25/non-members
Call for tickets 415-292-1200.
Jewish Book Group
We meet once a month on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 for an exciting and stimulating hour of good conversation and fellowship. Everyone is welcome -- come to one session, two, or as many as you like. There are no sign-ups or memberships – just join us! Some TBJ members come even if they haven’t read the book.
Next up People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. From Viking Books: In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation.
Date: Dec. 9
For time, location and other questions please call or email Jerry Brodkey at 650-917-8213 jbrodpmiler@yahoo.com.
Sponsored by Congregation Beth Jacob, 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City
Singing to God: Shabbat Music
In response to the question, "When do you most often feel a spiritual connection?" the most common response is, "when the cantor sings!" For many people it is the music that makes a spiritual – almost physical contact – with God.
So what if you don't know the words, don't know the tune? And what about chanting prayers? Can a Reform Jew relate to, much less experience, the meditative mantra-like chanting of davening? What is the relationship between singing and chanting?
Join Cantor Ilene Keys in a discussion of the human voice praising God. We will start with the broad concepts – prayer, praise, davening –and continue with the specifics – learning common tunes and songs of the Shabbat service.
Time: 12noon
Date: Sunday, December 14
Place: Temple Sinai Merritt Village, Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, off Redwood Road in Oakland (meet at the entrance of Temple Sinai's Merritt Village)
FREE
Chopshticks
Don't miss Gary Gulman of Last Comic Standing fame, performing live....at a Chinese restaurant! Help yourself to gourmet Chinese food and gut-busting comedy instead of spending the holidays alone. Chopshticks is an annual local tradition that sells out, so be sure to buy your tickets in advance.
December 24 or 25
Time: 7pm
Place: Ming’s Restaurant, 1700 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto
Cost: $70
Contact: Boris Vladimirsky, Performing Arts and Émigré Director. Phone: 650-852-3509
e-mail: bvladimirsky@paloaltojcc.org
